Programatically binding ComboBox in sketchflow to a Collection

After a lot of trial and errors, I got the right steps to bind a ComboBox to my collection class. Given below are the steps for anyone out there looking for a solution.

1. Set the ItemsSource property to the collection
2. Set the DataContext property to the collection
3. Set the DisplayMemberPath property to the name of a field in the collection.
4. Set the SelectedValuePath property to the name of a field in the collection.

this.cmbProjects.ItemsSource = Globals.AllProjects.Collection;
this.cmbProjects.DataContext = Globals.AllProjects.Collection;
this.cmbProjects.DisplayMemberPath = "Name";
this.cmbProjects.SelectedValuePath = "Name";

Setting SelectedIndex property of combobox resulted in "Specified argument was out of range" exception

While working on a SketchFlow prototype, I got this exception
"Specificed argument was out of range"
when attempting to set the value of ComboBox.SelectedIndex in the LayoutRoot_Loaded event handler. It used to occur randomly, so I concluded that this could be the result of some behavior not entirely under my control.
I got rid of this exception by setting the SelectedIndex propertly in the ComboBox_Loaded event handler. Hope this helps someone there with a similar issue. :)

Mockup controls for SketchFlow.

If you are a newbie to Microsoft Expression SketchFlow, I highly recommend

1. Start making use of the Mockup controls. Given below is a blog post that describes how to get the controls to appear in the Assets pane.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/expression/archive/2010/05/13/how-to-add-mockup-controls-to-your-expression-blend-library.aspx

2. Use Sketchables for rapid development
http://www.hardcodet.net/2010/07/public-sketchables-preview-release#comments

Sketch & Express!

I am in awe of SketchFlow! I have used Microsoft Word, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft PowerPoint to create prototypes, but SketchFlow blows them all out my list of preferred prototyping tools.

So what did I like in SketchFlow
1. Interactivity: None of the tools I used earlier helped me add interactivity. I was able to quickly add interactivity using C# code & some drag/drop.
2. Deploying packaged prototype to SharePoint: This feature makes the interactive prototype available for people to give feedback and also helps track versions. Love it!
3. Ability to chose between SketchFlow style and traditional development controls: The Pen/Pencil style of sketching/prototyping helps to keep the solution technology neutral and focus on the conceptual aspects of the application.
4. Map view: A view that shows me how pages are interlinked to each other. A great feature here is the ability to use a visual tags to make certain pages stand out.

Using Microsoft Excel 2010 for Web Project tracking

Conditional icons in Microsoft Excel 2010 are a great feature. I recently used it to report the status of Web Page development as seen in the screenshot.